In the New Orleans area, however, things are different. Residents of 300-mile swath of the Gulf Coast were told to evacuate as the latest predictions had Isaac reaching hurricane strength and making landfall by early Wednesday. Fortunately, Isaac isn't as strong as Hurricane Katrina, which took a similar path almost seven years ago to the day. "As of Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center projected Isaac would come ashore near New Orleans as a strong Category 1 storm, with top winds around 90 mph," CNN reported. Airlines canceled flights along the Gulf Coast, and FEMA and local emergency authorities announced their preparations at a Monday news conference. The city of New Orleans hasn't been evacuated, but the Los Angeles Times' Brian Bennet reports that "internal homeland security reports indicate that residents in the low-lying Ninth Ward in New Orleans have largely 'self-evacuated.' " The whole Katrina connection is spooky, but it's just a coincidence, and the aftermath will likely be a lot less severe this time, as authorities and residents learned their lesson about preparedness seven years ago. New Orleans Governor Bobby Jindal, though, has decided to skip the convention and pitch in at home.